Ontario: Sarah Thomson seeking Liberal nomination in Toronto

Toronto
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Former Toronto mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson announced through her Facebook page that she has decided to seek the Liberal nomination in downtown Toronto's Trinity-Spadina riding for October's Ontario provincial election.

In February, former Toronto mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi announced that he is running for the Progressive Conservatives in October in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding. But it seems PC leader Tim Hudak couldn’t get his hands on another unsuccessful mayoral hopeful.

On Tuesday, Sarah Thomson, founder of the Women’s Post, officially announced through her Facebook page that she was seeking the Liberal nomination. Thomson said she investigated both the Ontario Liberal and Conservative parties, but in the end was “proud to say, I choose the Ontario Liberal Party.”

One of the reasons why Thomson chose the Liberals over the Conservatives was because Hudak and his party, says Thomson, did not have a concrete plan if they were to govern the province. Instead, notes Thomson, Hudak was more interested in having a “candidate to carry their banner.”

“Their website is silent about any plans,” said Thomson. “I was told that their platform policy was a matter of secrecy that could not be discussed. I was left with many unanswered questions and the distinct impression that blind allegiance is what’s expected.”

This announcement contradicts what Thomson originally said in January when “speculation” was running rampant. In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Thomson denied the reports and said she hasn’t spoken to anyone in regards to running for a seat in the Queen’s Park Ontario Legislature.

Thomson also told the Toronto Star that the reports were “news to me” and “kind of made up.”

New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament of Trinity-Spadina, Rosario Marchese has held the seat for 20 years and actually welcomed Thomson’s decision. Marchese told the Toronto Sun: “I am happy that she has finally made up her mind and decided to run for the Liberals because we know she’s been courting the Conservatives as well, or they have courted her, and that she’s stopped waffling and decided to run for the Liberals.”

It is unclear if any of the provincial parties have sought former Ontario Deputy Premier and mayoral candidate George Smitherman. In an interview with TVO, Smitherman said he has no current plans to run for public office, but didn’t rule out the possibility in the future.